"Este animal aflito”: leitura de três últimos homens em tempos apocalípticos pelas mãos de Mary Shelley, Pepetela e Miguel Real

Abstract

In any dystopian literary context – whether a full-fledged dystopian text or as the setting for a utopian counter-proposal –, the last man, the lone individual, the sole survivor is often read as the guardian of that which was and takes on a civilizational role. This analysis of three different novels – Mary Shelley’s The Last Man (1826), Pepetela’s O Quase Fim do Mundo (2013), and Miguel Real’s O Último Europeu 2284 (2015) – allowed for the establishing of the key traits shared by these literary and philosophical characters, thus confirming that this figure so well-loved by the Romantics continues to hold considerable plasticity and allusive potential.